There are different kinds of power struggles. There is the political power struggle, when you leave your candidate's yard sign stuck in the grass until December. There is the social stalemate with the dog over who gets to sit in the good chair. There is the classic empty-toilet-paper-roll standoff.

I have been embroiled in a power struggle of a more literal sense when the electricity went off at our house. This is always dramatic because at any given moment all of the lights in the house are on.

I reacted like I always do; I flipped the light switch up and down several times, looking at the ceiling lights expectantly. It is a little known fact that this primes the electricity pump that send light into the light bulbs.

When this had no effect on the situation, we executed our family emergency plan: run in circles with our hands in the air until we are exhausted, then burst into tears. We have been through this kind of drill before so naturally we were fully prepared.

By 'fully prepared' I mean we remembered that we never did get batteries for the flashlights.

After our initial Three Stooges response, we arranged the dead flashlights in an attractive pile and lit some candles. The only candles we could find were those novelty birthday candles that sparkle, and one decorative votive that smelled a little like a urinal cake.

There is a period when it can be fun. Those hours when the house is still warm, and cannibalism has not yet come up in conversation. It stops being fun when you can't feel your feet. Or the first time you run into the vacuum cleaner in the hallway.

Some creative folks will fill the day with activities to keep them warm. Go to the movies, shop at a fully lighted mall, run into the vacuum cleaner in the hallway a second time, stand in line at the DMV. Drive to Florida.

To pass the time, we took turns carrying buckets of water out of our flooded basement. It turns out that when nature senses weakness, it sends extra water to rooms where you store your off-season stuff.

Wise people who learn from the past go out and buy generators so that during the next power outage they can keep their refrigerator from turning into a large almond-colored food coffin. Generators are made extra loud so that your neighbors know you have power while they are living like Neanderthals.

At least power outages bring the family closer together. That way we can stay warm. And no one can sneak away to visit neighbors with generators.

Another popular activity while powerless is calling Consumer's Energy to find out when the electricity may, or may not, be restored. It is a little known fact that by calling Consumer's Energy info line and repeatedly pressing '2' it primes the electricity pump that send light into the light bulbs.